Acoustic Sunrise
by mackie80
Summary: Memories and music resurface when an old friend of Danny's returns to New York. Can Madison find a way to bring back the close bond she had with Danny? Will she and Lindsay be able to work together without jealousy and hurt?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this is my very first fan fiction story. I've written lots of other stuff before, but never fan fic. Any constructive criticism or encouraging comments are welcome. Rumor has it that there's a cute little button at the bottom of the chapter you can push to do that! And if you like my story, don't forget to add me to your favorites and alert lists. **

**I also updated this chapter to reflect the fact that Madison grew up in the Bronx, rather than Staten Island.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing except Madison. Don't sue me! I write this only to bring a little entertainment into your life.**

**Chapter One**

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint in the shadow of the building. It took only seconds for her to realize what was happening. Time moved in slow motion.

At that moment the man saw her. They locked stares. His eyes widened and looked down. She followed his gaze. The fingers holding the twelve inch knife twitched. She drew in a sharp breath as the bloody knife slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground.

"Don't move, NYPD!" Even as she shouted the words, he bolted. Before anyone else even saw the murder weapon, the young woman was off like a shot. She dodged pedestrians, dogs, and leaped over the hood of a car while running across the street. The man tried to knock over every trash can he ran past, anything he could do to slow her down. She was too fast, lithely springing over the intended obstacles.

From a block away, three men watched as she sprinted from behind him and jumped at the man. She shoved him at the shoulders while her right knee landed squarely on his back. The sheer velocity of her speed and angle knocked him face first onto the concrete sidewalk.

"New girl?" Flack asked with amusement.

Hawkes merely watched, mesmerized. "New girl."

The young homicide detective nodded approvingly. "Not bad for the first day." He smiled. "Not bad at all. Not hard on the eyes either," he said, taking in her slim figure. Snug black pants, fitted black suede jacket, red ribbed turtle neck sweater, the glint of a gold pendant that looked like a rising sun. No, not bad at all.

Hawkes glanced at him and just shook his head. "Always on the prowl," he said.

"Why do they always have to run? I _hate_ it when they run," she muttered, catching her breath. She clamped a pair of cuffs on his wrists and, for someone so small, hauled him to his feet with relative ease. She gave the suspect a gentle shove to the uniform that had finally caught up with her, and glanced at the three men approaching. "You weren't kidding when you said I'd get to work right away," she remarked to the oldest one.

"I hired you for a reason," Mac Taylor responded with a smile. "Although, I'm beginning to think your reputation doesn't do you justice."

"Reputation?" Hawkes asked. "If she didn't have one before she will now. This'll be all over the lab in an hour. And I haven't even met her."

Mac chuckled. "Madison, this is Dr. Sheldon Hawkes and Detective Don Flack. Guys, meet our new CSI from Minneapolis, Madison Andrews."

"Hi, how ya doin'?" She dusted the dirt off of her pants and grinned. "I apologize, I normally don't take off running through the streets of New York when I'm about to be introduced."

Sheldon shook her hand in a warm grasp. "I think we can forgive you for that one, given the circumstances."

"Wait a minute. Hold on." Flack seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the conversation. He held his chin with his hand, looking mystified. "You're from Minneapolis? You sound more like a born and bred New Yorker to me."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Grew up in the Bronx. Moved to Minnesota my senior year of high school."

"Ah, so you are a native then," Sheldon remarked.

"Yep. When Mac offered me a job here I jumped at the chance." She lifted her head up, adjusted her stylish glasses, and looked around herself in wonder. "I forgot how much I missed this city."

"Madison?"

The petite young woman turned to her new boss.

"Sheldon can take care of things here. Let's head back to the lab. We'll get you settled in and acquainted with the rest of the team. Hopefully this will be the extent of excitement for your first day here."

"Great! Let's go."

**A/N: So what did you think? Like it? If you're still not sure, I'm adding chapter two right now to give you another taste. It brings Stella, and especially Danny, into the picture. And, yes, Lindsay will come along eventually, too. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hopefully you'll like this chapter even more than the first. If you do, or even if you don't, please review!!!! It's what we authors live on! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing but Madison. sigh **

**-**

**Chapter Two**

Danny Messer rubbed his bleary blue eyes with a yawn. His hand felt stubble on his face. _Oops, forgot to shave again, _he thought. _Oh, well, it's not the first time. Probably won't be the last. I'll just make like a cool guy and pretend the scruff is intentional._

The elevator dinged as it reached his floor. He put his glasses back on and immediately noticed Stella walking by.

"So I hear our new girl's startin' today, eh, Stella?" Danny asked as he walked out of the elevator. He noticed her steaming cup of coffee and looked at it longingly. He definitely needed to stop pulling those long double shifts. "You women tryin' to take over the department, now?" He flashed her his trademark grin.

"Of course. As the song goes, 'Anything you can do, I can do better.'" She sang the tune more than a little off key.

"Ha, yeah, I'll only agree to that if you give me that coffee. It's too early, or at least, I'm too tired to have to put up with bad music." He jerked his head at the sound of a screech that came from the end of the hallway.

"Danny? Is that you? Danny MESSER? Oh, my GOD!!!"

The next thing Danny knew something collided with him… namely, a young woman.

Stella laughed. "Jeez, Messer, it's barely eight o'clock and you've already got women just throwing themselves at you!"

"You ain't kiddin'!" came a muffled reply.

"Aw, come on, _Detective _Messer," came the voice of the person trying to extract herself from him. You can't tell me it's anything new." The face that grinned up at him sported green eyes that, in reality, were a kaleidoscope of colors.

Danny's own blue eyes widened in surprise. "Madison?" He took a step back and grabbed her by the shoulders to get a good look at her. "That really you, Madison?" he asked in amazement. "You look…" he searched for a description. "You're…" He swallowed hard and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hot damn, girl, you grew up!"

Madison laughed and stooped to pick up the jacket she dropped when she crashed into him. "Hey, it wasn't like I was a _baby_ when I left."

"I know, but, yikes, Mad. I almost didn't recognize you." He was staring at her in disbelief. "You've got funky glasses… and you cut your hair… and dyed it! And, um…" He managed to stop before he could say something that would come to haunt him later.

She self consciously ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, decided it was time for a change. Besides moving, I mean. Thought I'd add a little red. Goes with the glasses." She smirked. "And the muscles." She held up a bicep for him to see.

Danny let out the breath he'd been holding. "Wow," he finally said, looking her up and down. "You look great. Really great."

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

She turned at the sound of a throat clearing and blushed when she realized he'd been in conversation with the striking woman next to him. "Stella Bonasera," the woman said, extending her hand.

Madison returned her confident handshake. "Madison Andrews."

"I'm guessing by this little interchange that Danny already knows our new CSI," a voice from behind her said.

She turned to face him, embarrassed. "I am _so_ sorry, Mac! I promise, I don't normally run down hallways and throw myself at men. But I just couldn't help myself. It's been so long since I've seen Danny."

"You're a CSI?" Danny asked, puzzled. He stared at her. "You're kidding me, right?"

She moved her suede jacket to show off her NYPD badge and smirked again. "Yeah, well, had I known you became one I might have rethought my career choice. And this job offer. But, hey, it goes with the hair, don'cha think?"

He grinned. "Always a smart ass."

She threw up her hands. "Learned from the best." She looked apologetically at Stella. "Danny and I lived on the same block until I was seventeen. Figured I'd look him up once I got settled again in the city. Never in a million years thought I'd run into so soon after getting to New York. Especially not on my first day at work."

"Well, it looks like the two of you will be able to catch up sooner than you thought," Mac said. "In the meantime, there's evidence to process. If you're going to talk, then go talk and work at the same time."

**A/N: Don't forget to click on that cute little review button!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Sheesh, Madison! How in the world did you land this job?" Danny asked in wonder.

"What? You don't think I'm capable?" Madison replied with a frown.

"No, no, I mean… you're what? Twenty-six? How the heck did you get on Mac Taylor's radar from halfway across the country? No offense, but you're not exactly the typical New York cop. Cripes, Madison, look at you. You're a hundred and twenty-five pounds soaking wet!" He guestured to her small frame as she put on her lab coat.

"That's one thirty-five, and it's all muscle," she retorted. "Doesn't mean I'm not a good cop."

"Hey! I never said you weren't a good cop. You gotta be good if Mac hired you. He doesn't hire just anyone."

"Really? Then how did you end up working here?"

"Very funny," he said quietly. He pretended to focus on digging out all of the evidence bags from their box and sorting through them. Little did Madison know he almost _didn't_ get the job. The fact that Madison got hired with such apparent ease did make him a bit jealous. He couldn't help it. He had to struggle to get nearly everything he had. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time he was envious of her. When it came to a lot of things in life, Madison was truly gifted. Life seemed to come so easy for her.

"Danny?" she said, interrupting his thoughts. It was as if she could hear exactly what he was thinking. "Danny, you know how hard I worked in high school. Other than you and the guys, I didn't even have friends! I spent my teens studying, at the baseball field, or at the club. I never told you, but I spent my senior year at the University of Minnesota."

He gaped at her. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. And all those AP classes you made fun of me for taking paid off. I had college credits before I even walked in the door. Figured I might as well use it to my advantage and get an even bigger head start. I actually double majored, and still managed to graduate early. Long story short, eventually I ended up with the Minneapolis Crime Lab."

He opened his mouth to interrupt, but she kept going. "Which, let me tell you, is not exactly Hicksville, U.S.A. The timing was right and I managed to get some high profile cases under my belt." She paused, thoughtfully. "You know, I never expected to like Minnesota. I was determined to hate it."

Danny smiled and nodded at the recollection. "You left New York practically kicking and screaming. I doubt you would have stayed so long there if you didn't like it."

"It's a great place… despite my grandmother. The lakes, the parks, the rivers… the theater and music scenes. It was the next best thing. But I couldn't help it. As much as I love the Twin Cities, I missed home. Mac's offer just happened to come at the right time."

"You just happened to miss New York? After six years of not even visiting? Yeah, right. I know you better than that. You're not telling me everything."

"Danny," she said slowly. "Look. Ya know me. I'm a perfectionist. I think I could really fit in well here. This is a big opportunity for me. Gimme a chance, will ya?"

He gave her a half smile, half smirk. "Sure, thing, rookie. Now get to work on that knife."

Madison ran her hand through her hair in relief. The murderer in police custody, thanks to her morning romp through the city. Processing the evidence for the case had gone quickly. In fact, she had no doubt that they had enough proof to convict the guy. She even managed to get an unexpected compliment from Danny when he told her it was obvious she had everything under control and promptly left to catch up on some paperwork. Although, truth be told, she wasn't positive if he was really all that confident in her abilities in the lab or just in a frenzy to get the paperwork done so Mac wouldn't tan his hide for it being so late.

"Sounds like your first day is going pretty well," a voice from the doorway said, jarring her out of her thoughts. Madison glanced up to see Stella watching her.

"Hey, Stella. Yeah, surprisingly. Looks like we've got this one in the bag, already."

"Nice work. I think Mac is already pleased with his decision to hire you. Sounds like you're going to fit in really well around here."

Madison pulled off her gloves and lab coat. "I certainly hope so," she remarked, hanging the coat up.

"Since it seemed like you were finishing up in here so I thought I'd take pity on you." The younger woman gave Stella a quizzical look. "I figured Mac hadn't gotten around to it, so I thought I would show you where your office is. Everything got rearranged a couple of weeks ago. Everyone and everything has been shoved into a different spot. Now none of us can find anything!"

They laughed. "And here I always thought labs were supposed to be ultra organized. Lead on," she said, opening the door. She followed Stella down the hall, taking in her surroundings. If things were as chaotic as she would be led to believe, Madison would need to pick up on every detail she could.

"The good news is that eventually things will get reorganized. Rumor has it they're going to stick us all into one bullpen. Except Mac, of course."

"Let me guess… the CSI bullpen will be the same size as Mac's office."

Stella gave her a wry grin. "You've certainly got this place figured out, don't you?"

"Hey, it's what we do!"

"Must be a little strange to run into an old friend after so long."

Madison nodded. "I haven't really talked to Danny since I moved. I think it's going to be nice being around him again. We used to be pretty close, actually."

"Really?" Stella asked in surprise.

She blushed, but tried to nonchalant and shrugged. "I know it sounds weird considering he's four years older than me and I was just a teenager. But he was sort of the brother I never had. We had a lot of common interests. And we were a couple of kids who were both trying to get out of Tanglewood and make something better of ourselves."

Stella looked at her approvingly. "Looks like you both succeeded." She guestured to the glass door in front of them. "This is your office. I see Danny's already at his desk. He can get you situated."

"Thanks, Stella." She pushed open the door and leaned up against the frame. "Hey, Messer. I hear rumor we're going to be sharing an office." It was a brightly lit room, cluttered with papers and boxes, and smelling faintly of coffee.

Danny looked up from his paperwork. Seeing his old friend, he tossed his pen onto the pile of papers in front of him and laced his fingers together behind his head. "Yup, welcome to the chaos that is our office. Ya know, I used to have my own office. Then some genius got the bright idea to cram the three of us all into one. That's your desk," he said, pointing to the station closest to the door.

She wandered over to her desk. She took in the dark woodwork of the desk, the new computer with a flat screen monitor, a phone, and… that was about it. She glanced around the small room. Cozy might have described it, were it not for the fact that virtually every usuable space was, well, used. She looked from her own desk, back to Danny's, and then to the workstation on the other side of the room. "Who does that desk belong to?"

She almost regretted asking the question when she instantly recognized the patented Messer grin.

"Montana." He chuckled. "I mean, Lindsay Monroe. She has the day off."

"Montana?"

"It's where she's from. I called her that on her first day and it stuck. It kinda drives her crazy." Danny grinned, his blue eyes sparkling.

"I see." She shook her head and frowned. She set her messenger bag down on her desk and pulled out a stick of peppermint gum. "Guess you haven't changed all that much, huh?" she asked, and popped the gum in her mouth.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" He folded his arms across his chest, and she cringed internally. She hadn't expected him to reply. Comments like that used to just roll off his back like water off a duck. Instead, he was giving her the 'I'm not backing down' stance. Fine, then, neither would she. She could take him on.

Madison pursed her lips, returning his stare. "When d'ya do it?"

He cocked his head to one side. "Huh?" he asked. Confusion played across his face.

"You heard me. When… did… you… do… _it?_" She practically spit out the last word.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Whoa, back off. Montana ain't that kinda girl. She's a country girl, from Bozeman. She ain't like that, so just get that thought outta yer dirty little mind."

Madison put her hands on her hips. "What's being a country girl got to do with anything? Hello! Earth to Danny! I went to college with plenty of country girls, and believe me, I know what they're capable of. And _I'm _the one with a dirty little mind? Sheesh, Messer, have you completely forgotten your teens? I heard more things as a seventh grader than most of those college girls ever did." She looked at him pointedly.

Danny opened his mouth to retort something, then quickly shut it as thought better of it. He pretended to be absorbed in his paperwork. Try as he might, though, he couldn't keep the heat from rising up the back of his neck and face.

She smiled as the rosy hue spread across his cheeks. "Well, at least you have the good graces to blush."

"Didn't think you heard that stuff," he mumbled. He was still trying to pretend he was reading.

"Now you understand why I'm such a great detective." She gave him a playful punch in the arm. He glowered at her, but then his gaze drifted. She followed his glance to the pictures on Lindsay's desk. _Pretty,_ she thought. _Really pretty. But complete girl next door. Odd… for Danny, anyway. _

She gestured to the photos on Lindsay's desk. "Don't bother trying to convince me that this Montana girl is just any old co-worker either."

"Whad'ya mean by that?" His ears were turning red.

_You never could lie to me,_ she thought. _I could always see through it. Why do I have to have such a curse? Why? _"Oh, you know exactly what I mean." She paused and bit her lower lip. "I know we both have a lot of work to get done yet." She set the files she had been holding down onto her desk. "And it's kinda hard to do paperwork and have a meaningful conversation at the same time, so…" _Come on Madison, just spit it out! What's the big deal? It's just Danny. _"So, um, would ya maybe wanna go get some drinks after work? Catch up and stuff?"

He just stared at her again in disbelief. "You're old enough to drink now. I mean, legally. Not just bumming swigs offa my beer."

The irritation she felt earlier came swarming back. "Yeah, and I have been for five years. Get over it."

He rolled his eyes.

_Get over it yourself, girl. _She licked her lips. "Tell you what. _I'll_ even buy this time."

Danny rubbed the scruff on his chin and nodded with a glint in his eyes. "Never been one to turn down free drinks from a beautiful woman before."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys rock! Keep them coming and I'll even post the next two chapters together. All you lurkers, thanks a bunch for reading! Enjoy the new chapter.**

**Chapter Four**

"And then, Adam, you should have seen it." Sheldon Hawkes stood in the lab. He had just given Adam Ross, the lab tech, evidence to process. Inevitably, he had asked what really happened at the scene that morning. "It was unbelievable. She just goes flying and tackles the guy. Then hauls him up like it's no big deal. I swear, I've never seen the like of it."

"I heard somebody call her Wonder Woman. So what is she? An Amazon? Let me guess, 6 foot, without heels? With long black hair flying in the wind?" Adam grinned at the thought. He could just imagine her hurrying into the lab, needing _his_ assistance.

"Nope," Sheldon replied. "I'd say 5'-2", maybe 5'-3.""

Adam woke up from his daydream with interest.

"And, no, she's got kind of short hair. A redhead. Well, darker than red. But, it's got some blonde or something in it, too. I dunno. I'm sure Stella could tell you what it's called. Women always have a name for every color under the sun. But I'm telling you, man, that girl can _move._"

Adam's grin widened. "Short red head, huh? Mmmm… that's even better. I'll process her evidence anytime!" He chuckled and meandered over to the other side of the room with a bounce to his step.

"Great," he muttered. "At this rate Madison Andrews is going to have the entire lab wrapped around her little finger by the end of the day." He looked around the lab. Adam was now half dancing to the music coming from his Ipod. Sheldon sighed. At the rate things were going, he'd never get the results on that evidence.

Don Flack was sitting on the pavement of the crime lab's parking lot, stretching. It felt good after the stress he'd had working that day. He slammed a gulp of water and hopped to his feet. "Yo, Messer! You ready for a smack down?"

"Absolutely." Danny tugged off his sweatshirt, tossed it onto the ground, and pulled on his handball glove. "I worked hard all day and still haven't gotten a chance to smack anyone down yet. Gotta meet my daily quota."

Flack smirked. "Ha, ha, very funny, wise guy."

"Hey, you brought it up, pal. But since I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you serve."

Within a few minutes the two were well into their usual game. They played hard and sweated a lot, but always managed to have a conversation at the same time.

"So, did you meet Wonder Woman yet?" Flack asked. _Smack!_

_Smack!_ "Huh? Wonder Woman?"

_Smack!_ "Yeah, you know, that new little hottie that ran down a murderer on her first day?"

_Clang! _Danny frowned as the ball rolled back toward him from a nearby chain link fence. "Hottie?" He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. "Murderer? First _day?! Holy…" _His eyes flew up to meet his friend's. "MADISON?!"

"Yeah, that's her name! You met her, then?"

Danny stared at him, his jaw hanging open. _"HOTTIE???"_ he yelled.

"Ah, yeah, Messer. Didn't you notice? You're losing your touch. She's a fine piece of…"

"Don't you even go there! She's not some side of beef!"

Flack stared at his best friend, sweat running down his face. He grabbed his water bottle and took a swig. "What's gotten into you, man? I thought you only had eyes for Monroe. What's the deal?"

Danny glared at him. "You know how I feel about Lindsay." His face softened a little. "But Maddie is, well, she's practically my kid sister."

"Oh." He put the puzzle pieces together. "The Bronx… _Tanglewood._ You grew up together, didn't you?"

"Yeah. So hands off."

"Wait a minute." Flack shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He was really having trouble keeping up today. "Maddie? You call her Maddie?"

Danny scowled. _Nice slip up, there, Messer._ "Only once in a while. But don't you even try. She'll skin you alive and dump your body in the Hudson. Trust me."

"Why should I trust you on that? I think you're still losing your touch, Mr. Player. Maybe she'd like it if I called her Maddie." He grinned at the thought. "Women love it when I give 'em nicknames. Nope, I'm not going trust you on that one."

Danny stepped forward, six inches from Flack's chest. Blue eyes met blue eyes. "You'd better, because she nearly took me out fifteen years ago for doing it… _before_ I taught her to fight. Besides, if she doesn't dump your body in the Hudson, I will."

"Oh." Flack took a step back. "Well… all right, then."

Danny smiled.

"Not that I'm afraid of your sorry butt coming after me," Flack added quickly.

"Sure, you're not, buddy. I believe ya," Danny replied with a devilish glint in his eyes. He fingered the little blue ball in his hand. He had a game to win before he would meet Madison at the bar. And win it he would, too.

_Smack! _


End file.
